Film terms, Movie essay, The apartment 1960

Three major steps in writing the paper:
1. The Apartment, and assemble a good set of materials.
Think about what weve read in Anatomy of Film in terms of breaking a film into techniques. Direction
blankets many of the following:
-cinematography (composition, framing, camera movement, lighting)
-editing (order, transitions, tone, rhythm, sound, music)
-use of effects
-performance
-theme
2. Develop a thesis.
Try using the question/answer technique since most theories (theses) are derived from a perceived problem as
evidenced by a question. This technique also helps if you have trouble writing a thesis from scratch. Simply ask a
question (about an element/technique in the film), and then answer it. Youve just written a rough draft thesis (the
answer). However, remember that questions arent thesis statements and the quality of the thesis is heavily
dependent on the type and quality of the question. Be sure to ask a question that reflects some element (technique) of
the film and its impact and make sure it invites YOU to offer an idea/theory about it.

1. List a few questions about the film (influenced by something observed from the categories listed in section
1).

2. Narrow down to your best question and then answer it. The answer should come from you (this is YOUR theory)
and this is your thesis.
3. Write the paper.
1. Introduction. First, give a brief summary (couple of sentences) of the film (you may introduce the
director and/or major actors/actresses as well). Next, you need to move your discussion to the
issue or technique that was part of your question from section 2 (however, you do not have to
include your question). In other words, if your question was about the use of music, then you need
to introduce this idea to the reader. Lastly, state your thesis (last line of the introduction).

By including all the elements above in your introduction, you contextualize your thesis so that the reader is
well acquainted with the film youve chosen, the issue/technique youre focusing on, and then what you
have to say about iti.e. your take (thesis).

2. Body paragraphs. Select specific material (scenes, actions, dialogue) from the film to support your
thesis. Discuss and explicate fully. In other words, show how these examples from the film
illustrate your theory.